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I love France #29: (2012) #41 review: Le Road Trip

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Le Road Trip:

A Traveler’s Journal of Love and France

by

Vivian SWIFT

195 pages

Published by Bloomsbury USA in April 2012

THIS BOOK COUNTS FOR THE FOLLOWING READING CHALLENGES

MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS BOOK

Have you ever loved? And loved traveling? And dreamed of traveling (back) to France? If you answered yes to one of the above, you absolutely have to read this book.

Wow, what a cool book!

– first Le Road Trip is about a trip to France, so of course I am going to be biased. I liked a lot how Vivian Swift presents her adventures and discoveries. All along her book, she makes the parallel between love and travel, with the evolution between love at first sight and maturity, based on her own personal stories. Her notes on France and the French people sound very accurate to me, very objective too: she does not hesitate highlighting some neat encounter in the countryside somewhere, but also how some Parisians can be a pest with tourists.

– and then, it is so beautifully illustrated by the author herself. She is a fantastic artist, painting watercolors based on her own pictures and drawings made during the trip. You can have a look here. There are also pages with graphics, giving you the list of breads, or special travelings tips and advice, etc. And the whole book was hand type-set by herself, so really neat!

If you want to reminisce of your last French trip, or even just relax with a very nice and unique picture book, read Le Road Trip.

If you can’t wait, you can watch the trailer; it gives you an idea of the illustrations, though the book goes of course much deeper.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT

Road trip: those are still the two most inspiring words to vagabonds and couch potatoes alike; after all, the great American spirit was forged by road trippers from the Pilgrims to Lewis and Clark to the Dharma Bums. Le Road Trip combines the appeal of the iconic American quest with France’s irresistible allure, offering readers a totally new perspective of life on the road.

Le Road Trip tells the story of one idyllic French honeymoon trip, but it is also a witty handbook of tips and advice on how to thrive as a traveler, a captivating visual record with hundreds of watercolor illustrations, and a chronicle depicting the incomparable charms of being footloose in France. Armchair travelers, die-hard vagabonds, art journalists, and red wine drinkers will all find something to savor in this story. [Goodreads]

Hi! Thanks for coming to Chopsticks about Vivian’s first book and sending me to your site to learn more about this one. I suspected it would be just as you say, after “When Wanderers Cease to Roam,” simply because how could it be otherwise? But of course, as one who loves France, this one will hold a special spot in my heart! Thanks!